Mentalist Episode Tag: Red Letter Day, 5x19
by Donnamour1969
Summary: Jane and Lisbon discuss Kirkland. Set immediately post episode. Spoilers, 5x19.


A/N: I'm still most enthralled by the bits of Red John info we're getting every week, but this episode had some fun stuff with Jane as a magician and shyster. The Kirkland stuff was great, and more and more I'm subscribing to my friend justlook3's theory that Kirkland is pursuing Red John for personal reasons. I mean, look at how he took Jane's information and kept it to himself. Look how he killed Lennon. It seemed personal somehow. Now the battle may be who will get to Red John first, Kirkland or Jane. And that knowing smile of Jane's there at the end said quite a bit, which inspired this tag.

This tag is my attempt to explain Kirkland's motivations from Jane and Lisbon's points of view, keeping in mind we know stuff they don't.

**Episode Tag: Red Letter Day, 5x19**

"Kirland was here," said Jane, nodding toward their CBI attic surroundings.

"What? Why?" asked Lisbon.

Jane grinned, handing her a cup of tea. "You know why. He was on a fishing expedition, like you said. I hope he likes what he caught."

Lisbon stared at Jane a moment, then her eyes went back to the picture-covered bulletin board. "Why aren't you pissed off? He invaded your inner sanctum, perused your—"she gestured helplessly a moment—"your hand-shaking board."

"Yes. Good. I hope it helps in his search for Red John."

Lisbon couldn't believe her ears. He'd been keeping his attic hideout under lock and key for weeks since he constructed this timeline and Red John link board. Bob Kirkland was certainly an odd duck, and Lisbon and Jane both were suspicious of Homeland security's involvement, but was he diabolically undermining them, or merely attempting to do his job (whatever that was)?

"You're gonna have to fill in the blanks for me," she said.

Jane calmly sipped his tea. "I think I've figured out some of what's going on here. The FBI believes me, Lisbon. There's a mole in their agency, just like Red John said. Somehow they found some loophole that would allow Homeland Security to get involved. I think Kirkland is here to find out what I know and use it to help me."

"To help you? You're kidding me."

"Well, maybe not help _me_, per se. But help get Red John, yeah."

"So you're probably thinking Kirkland came in here, studied your board without anyone's knowledge, so he wouldn't tip off anyone associated with the FBI."

"Very good, Lisbon. Yes, that's what I think. And I've been waiting for this eventuality anyway. Every day I leave some little trip to see if someone's snooping around. Obviously today's breech was Kirkland's, given your coffee break conversation."

"So now he knows what you're up to."

"He knows I've made a timeline. He knows I've listed some names. But he doesn't know I've narrowed it down to a handful." He tapped his head with an index finger. "Those names are safely locked in my sizeable noggin. They may as well be in Fort Knox."

Lisbon smirked at that claim. "You're not suspicious of Kirkland, then? Maybe he's trying to figure out what you know so he can report back to Red John."

"He does strike me as sort of on the oily side—but then that's how I've always looked at government agents. Present company excluded, of course."

"Gee, thanks."

"But does he work for Red John? No. I don't think so. Red John doesn't know about Lorelei's hint to me about the handshaking, so he would have no reason to suspect I know something new. Kirkland wants to be sure I'm not one up on their investigation. He's suspicious of me. Maybe he even talked to Darcy about me possibly being Red John, and was investigating things from that angle. My bulletin board would totally discount that theory, don't you think?"

"I guess that's a bright side," agreed Lisbon. "So, what now? Are you going to confront Kirkland?"

"No. Let's let him think he has one over on me. He knows what I'm doing, and if things don't seem to be going the way I like, I'll just put some misleading information on the old peg board."

"Well, now I'm in a weird position. What if he asks me for another coffee date? You know what a sucky liar I am."

He grinned. "You only _suck_, as you so indelicately put it, when it's something personal that you're trying to keep from _me_. You've lied often enough and well enough to others when you are doing something undercover, or to convince a suspect to confess, or…to help me catch Red John. I have complete confidence in your powers of prevarication, Lisbon."

"Thanks. I think."

"And you can always feed Kirkland what we want him to know if need be. Also, if he's up to no good, well, we can see that too."

"We? What do you mean _we_? I haven't seen him asking _you _out for coffee lately."

"Don't be coy, Lisbon. Kirkland is a man, after all. Kind of a creepy man, but a man nonetheless."

Lisbon felt her face flushing a little. "I have the sneaking suspicion you're the real prize though. He's going through me to get to you."

Jane nodded. "Time will tell," he said, but then his tone turned serious. "We're close, Lisbon. And no matter who or what Kirkland is, the fact that he's interested in what I know tells me I'm on the right track. We just have to continue to be patient."

Neither of them mentioned how long Jane had had to be patient. In many ways, he'd perfected the art.

"So, until I can weed out a few more of my suspects, we wait. But that's okay…I have plenty of tea."

His melancholy turning once again to good humor, both of them sipped their tea in silence.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Another new episode next week—yay! And by the way, if you don't already, come over to Twitter and follow me and other friends from this site. We have a lot of great conversations and speculation about the show. I go by Donnamour1969 there too. Hope to see you there!**

**P.S. Please keep the people of Boston in your thoughts and prayers. **


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